The Dana Interviewer Class of 2016 Table of Contents

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The Dana Interviewer Class of 2016 Table of Contents:

Introduction ------2 Caroline Berman ------3 Dan Bigelow ------4 Dana Brodsky ------5 Matthew Dacher ------6 Tim DeRosa ------7 Adam Elwood ------8 Jon Hauptfeld ------10 Rachel Heist ------11 Tommy Hoffman ------12 Michael Hovan ------13 Brendan Huffman ------14 Nicole Karsch ------15 Richard Kormos ------16 Jake Levine ------17 Jillian Mauro ------18 Dan McKenna ------19 Emily Michaels ------20 Emily Nguyen ------21 Maxine Silver ------22 Shaena Singer ------23 Katie Skwirut ------24 Megan Smith ------25 Brittney Tuff ------26 Eric Quitter ------27 Jessica Wilson ------28 Honors and ------29 Achievements

1 The Dana Interviewer Featuring the Class of 2016

The Dana Scholars Program, made possible by the Charles A. Dana Foundation, acknowledges students who display academic potential, good character, integrity, and leadership ability through contributions both inside and outside of the classroom. Each summer, Muhlenberg College awards about thirty high school seniors with this honor, one of the most prestigious honors that the College offers. For more information, visit http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/academics/dana-scholars/. Editors: Jake Levine ’16 and Maxine Silver ’16

Dana Program Director: Dr. Mohsin Hashim

Forum Director: Dr. Jefferson Pooley

Faculty Advisory Committee: Dr. Margo Hobbs Dr. Joseph Keane Dr. Jefferson Pooley Dr. Cathy Marie Ouellete

Student Advisory Committee: Jessica Wilson ’16 Jonathan Walker ’18 Jillian Mauro ’16 Genevieve Wall ’18 Lara Roseto ’17 Taj Singh ’19 Alan Mendez ’17 Jamie Greenberg ’19 Alex Stavros ’17 2 Caroline Berman

Written by Pierce Lockett

In a school with as rich a history and reputation in theatre as any other, Caroline Berman made a choice not many underclassman make concerning her academic change of heart. “I came here as a theater major. Now I’m a biology major on the pre-vet track,” she says, chuckling quietly to herself, her laptop open after working (unsurprisingly) on yet another piece of her student based research. A Chicago native, Caroline’s Muhlenberg experience has been rather atypical given her initial field of interest. “I did stagework for a couple of shows at Muhlenberg, like On the Town and the Marriage of Figaro. I was that kid who was reading their bio textbook on the floor of the greenroom; it was pretty weird.” Yet Caroline’s budding interest in the sciences only compounded itself as time went on. In her junior year, Caroline spent time abroad in Tanzania doing research in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area studying the relationship between the abundance of certain grasses and the presence of native animals, studying overall pasture quality in one of the most widely studied ecological sites in the world. “It was honestly life changing. I knew I wanted to study abroad, and my parents also studied abroad, but it was genuinely a life altering experience,” said Caroline. “It drove me even deeper toward my love for animals and veterinary medicine, and I don’t think I would be doing quite the same thing today without it.” In addition to her time abroad, Caroline has spent a great deal of time doing research both in Muhlenberg and the surrounding area. She is currently conducting genetics research with Dr. Wightman on developmental genes in the Biology department and has previously worked internships with the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and the Lehigh Valley Zoo, something that provided meaningful experience in the field of zoology and veterinary medicine. What Caroline has expressed the most gratitude for, however, are the day-by-day experiences that being a Dana Scholar at Muhlenberg has afforded her over the years. “The thing about the Dana Program is that there are a lot of smart people in one room, and those conversations help to foster not just academics but genuine action. Sometimes it can feel a little passive [at Muhlenberg], so I feel as though the Dana program helps to change that mindset.” That, in a sense, is the impact that the Dana Program has had on Caroline over her three and a half years at Muhlenberg by offering her impetus to do something meaningful with her education. From independently seeking her own internships to spending time abroad, Caroline has done something rarer than most students: finding something she loves. “It’s hard to explain to people that I’m not just, like, studying grass, or analyzing things for fun. There is an entire realm of ecology that needs to be studied. Sure, it’s nerdy. But I couldn’t be happier.”

3 Daniel Bigelow

Written by Emma Lewis

Daniel Bigelow is from Westfield, New Jersey. Dan was attracted to the small school atmosphere that Muhlenberg boasts. He also had two brothers that matriculated to the College before him, which certainly influenced his decision. Dan’s First Year Seminar class was a very worthwhile class for him to start his Muhlenberg career. The class attempted to cover some of what life is like in the inner-city for people who live in lower socio- economic classes. Dr. Brian Mello did a good job introducing the class to the struggles of living under a system that limits the upward social mobility of people in underprivileged areas, a perspective which he found lacking in his high school course load. One major role that Dan played on campus was the president of DTD for a year and a half. As the face of the fraternity, Dan has had to coordinate with Muhlenberg as well as with the national DTD organization. He views what he did like running a business. Some responsibilities of his include managing some thirty guys and their jobs, running the executive board for the chapter, and setting a vision for DTD and keeping everyone on board with their goals. “Greek life is, hands down, the most meaningful experience I’ve had at Muhlenberg.” Dan is an avid sports fan, playing football and rugby in high school, watching games with friends, and participating in intramurals with his fraternity brothers. This love of sports has fueled his passion for researching concussions over the past year. He recommends that every student, regardless of major, takes Dr. Jeremy Teissere’s Mind and Brain course , as the class provides students with a new way of thinking about consciousness and perception. Dan, under the guidance of Dr. Jeff Rudski, is currently engaged in examining professors’ willingness to be flexible with students suffering from concussions, along with a related independent study. He believes that there is a significant lack of understanding on the part of both student-athletes and professors about the implications and effects of improperly managed concussions. He hopes to someday make an impact on the way concussion treatment and education are approached. Dan said that his approach to finding a job after college is to look for a problem he’s interested in solving and finding someone who will pay him to fix it. To that end, he plans on pursuing research positions in neuroscience to get better acquainted with what gaps there are in the industry. After almost four years at Muhlenberg, Dan has some wisdom to bestow upon the next generation: get to know your professors outside of the classroom, and find something that you’re actually interested in learning rather than simply taking classes to fill requirements. Doing both of those will make your time at Muhlenberg a more worthwhile experience. .

4 Dana Brodsky

Written by Patrick Sockler

Dana Brodsky came to Muhlenberg College from Paramus, New Jersey. Applying early decision, she knew that Muhlenberg would be the right choice for her, because of its small, yet extremely supportive community. In fact, the personal relationships that Dana was able to develop with professors due to intimate class settings became some of the most useful sources of guidance along her college career. She attended the Golda Och Academy in West Orange, New Jersey, a small Jewish Day School whose intimate academic and social settings were similar to Muhlenberg’s. In the future, she aspires to become a clinical psychologist specializing in work with children and adolescents. Dana is a Psychology major and—clearly taking advantage of the college’s liberal arts philosophy—is a Jewish Studies minor as well. The wide range of courses offered at Muhlenberg is one of the things that drew her to the college. Dana firmly believes this broad curriculum to be one really beneficial and advises Muhlenberg students to take advantage of it. Extracurricularly, Dana served as the president of Muhlenberg’s chapter of the Delta Zeta sorority (ΔΖ). She began as the sorority’s secretary, working her way up to be president second semester of junior year until the first semester of her senior year. Being the effective president that she was, Dana understands what goes behind being a good leader; she is an effective delegator, coordinator of members, and essentially bares the responsibility of making sure that everything runs smoothly in the organization. This semester, Dana plans to help coordinate the “Relay for Life” event, a cancer research fundraiser. She will be helping in both the event’s planning and its execution. She will also be completing her Dana Internship this semester, to work with the Allentown Promise Neighborhood, a non-profit organization that helps connect families in need to social services in their areas. She will be working on multiple projects throughout the semester. As a DANA Scholar, Dana’s finest memories of the program are of her First Year Seminar with Dr. Mello about the American television series The Wire. Her Dana Mentorship was her involvement in an ongoing psychological research project with Professor Connie Wolfe regarding the colorblind ideology so pertinent to discussions on racism today. She helped with the analysis and processing of surveys on the topic, specifically the “coding” of open-ended responses to questions. After reading the many responses to each survey, Dana then proceeded to analyze the data. Her task involved creating categories for responses based on the varied opinions and reactions to the topic, and then grouping like responses together under whichever category they belonged to. As a psychology major, Dana is very grateful for the fact that she could get first-hand experience in work pertinent to her future career. After Muhlenberg, Dana intends to take a gap year during which she will study for her GREs to attend graduate school, and work at an internship. She has an intention to pursue a PhD in psychology, and hopes to attend graduate school in New York City, Boston, or Washington DC. If Dana ends up in NYC, she’ll be comfortably close to home, but if she ends up in either Boston or DC, she will be excited to face the adventures and new experiences by living far from what she knows! Fun fact— her little sister, Rachel, is a member of Muhlenberg’s Class of 2019!

5 Matthew Dacher

Written by Annu Suresh

Matthew Dacher, a Dana senior at Muhlenberg College, hails from New York. He cites that he chose Muhlenberg College, because he loved the comfort, familiarity, and warmth of the tight-knit campus whenever he visited his older brother here. Matt is a political science and international relations major with concentration in the Middle East. As a freshman Dana, Matt thoroughly enjoyed his FYS: “The Wire, Representations of Inner City Life” based on the HBO TV show, The Wire. When he was a sophomore, he participated in community service projects at the Phoebe Home as a part of his Dana Seminar. In the fall of his junior year, Matt was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, an experience he cites as one of the greatest times of his life. After returning back to campus, Matt completed his Dana Internship working at Senator Bob Casey’s office here in Allentown for 4 months. As a part of his Dana Mentorship, he is working with Dr. Hashim on his honors thesis, examining the ways in which NGOs (non-governmental organizations) affect countries like Bangladesh by weakening the government. Matt is looking forward to working with his group members in the Dana Senior Seminar on the effects of political disengagement on the environment and safety in correlation with this year’s Center for Ethics theme of “Influence & Information: Whose Safety? Whose Security?”. Matt has been an extremely busy individual, involved with many aspects of Muhlenberg College in his time here. He was the treasurer of the Student Government, and he currently is on the Seegers Union Student Advisory Board. He holds a spot on the Middle States Accreditation Board and was president of Alpha Tau Omega, a fraternity that is involved immensely with campus. After college, Matt plans to leave the country and work for a think-tank or NGO in Bangladesh for a few years before returning to the United States and working for a government agency. When asked what advice he would part on younger students after all his experiences at Muhlenberg, Matt said, “Don’t take it too seriously”. He specifically explained that even though college and academics are really important, we should remember that we still have time ahead of us and that failing one test in one class in one semester really doesn’t have to be a big issue. He also cites the importance of having an outlet to relieve stress. While the entire campus will miss Matt as he heads out to do great things in the world, Matt has certainly left his mark on Muhlenberg College as a Dana Scholar.

6 Tim DeRosa Written by Holly Lehren

In the last four years, Tim DeRosa has been focused on the sciences and open to the school’s liberal environment. His peers gave him their perspectives on the world, and he listened. And then he began a biology major. Tim was always interested in pre-med and took a internship at the Lehigh Health Network in Bethlehem local hospital. Tim followed a cardiologist around all day. I asked if it was gruesome and he grinned, “If it’s gruesome it’s already too late.” He has also worked as a resident advisor (RA) for two years. Empathy became the main part of his job, with all the freshman trauma typical of first semester. “It’s hard to be away from home for the first time,” he explains. I knew what he meant. The first few days at college were terrifying and a nice RA is the next best think to the meal plan. Tim founded the Muhlenberg Racket Ball Club, as well as acting as Treasurer and playing on the men’s tennis team. Exercise coupled with an accessible gym made stress much easier to deal with. Racket Ball is something Tim could do in any weather, so he did not hesitate to give others the extra chance to relax. His last years have been all about medical school applications, Dana research and the Senior Year Forum. Tim and Dr. Hark delved into epigenetics, something alien to me, but he explained it very well. Basically, he and his mentor looked at how environmental factors affected the expression of genes. To me, that entailed acid rain and nose shape, but Tim assured it me it was much more sophisticated. In any case, the Dana Senior Year Forum let Tim see how his peers had progressed in the last three years. The students had changed and grown, and gave Tim another look at the world outside of the sciences. He told me how interesting it was, as a science major, opening his mind yet again to the perspective of others in the creative and/or irrational fields. The Forum still stands as something special for him; it brought everyone in the Dana program together once more. Exploration at college comes as a privilege, and he has used it to do what he wanted. Tim took Muhlenberg as it came, with opportunities and a diverse environment. And his objectives then put him on track to medical school. He’ll help those who never had the same chances; his focus made it possible. Tim’s focus will let him help those who never had the same privilege. Muhlenberg’s opportunities let him explore. He listened to others’ opinions, respecting the perspectives outside his major. However, he made a point to never forget his main objective. Tim now faces a career as a physician, and he thanks the Dana program and Muhlenberg College, and his confidence in his objectives for making it possible.

7 Adam Elwood

Written by Dana Kneisley

Muhlenberg Class of 2016’s Adam Elwood, from Bridgewater, New Jersey, might be described as the epitome of a Dana Scholar. He is one of those enviable people who makes stellar grades and achievements, who participates in every organization imaginable, and who can befriend anyone he encounters. During his nearly four years here at Muhlenberg, he has taken full advantage of the opportunities this school and the Dana program have to offer, which were significant influences on his decision to attend Muhlenberg in the first place. A pre-medicine student with a major in neuroscience and a minor in Russian Studies, Adam has still found the time to establish and captain the Muhlenberg Quidditch Association, work as a campus EMS, plan Orientation Weekend with the Student Orientation Advisory and Planning Committee (SOAP), help students in his role as a peer tutor and study abroad in Denmark, not to mention participate in research and internships. Adam has also been a biology Learning Assistant for two years. This job entails conducting workshops for the students in the class to have extra practice and comfort with the material, supporting the teacher during recitation, and attending some of the class’s lectures in order to stay abreast of the material they are covering. Adam also is a member of Muhlenberg’s 4-4 Medical Scholars Program with Drexel University College of Medicine, meaning he was accepted to medical school while still in high school and will matriculate directly into medical school at Drexel in the fall of 2016. None of his family members work in the medical field, but he says his interest in medicine began in Boy Scouts (he eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout), where he learned and was fascinated by basic first aid procedures. He went on to become an EMT while only a junior in high school and then joined MCEMS as a freshman. After graduating from Drexel UCM he plans to pursue neurosurgery research and perhaps become an undergraduate professor. Since his freshman year Adam has performed research on bumblebees with Dr. Jordanna Sprayberry, where they investigate how the smell of certain pesticides may overpower the natural scent of the plant, thus attracting or deterring the bumblebees from pollinating that plant to help it reproduce. This project has completed his requirement for the Dana internship. Last summer, Adam took another research position in California to do pharmaceutical research, specifically to study drugs that might affect RNA in order to combat certain disorders. This was after his spring semester abroad in Denmark, where he took classes as diverse as Psychopharmacology, Garden Art, and Norse Mythology. He picked up a good deal of the Danish language there, totaling the languages in which he is proficient to four (the other three being Russian, Spanish, and, of course, English). He desires to learn more languages and has considered taking his medical skills abroad. Currently Adam has an internship locally, at Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest Hospital, shadowing neurologists and neurosurgeons to help prepare for medical school and his plans afterward. One of Adam’s favorite things about the Dana program was the opportunity to have “intellectual

8 conversations with other people who are passionate about the same topics,” no matter what the topic happened to be. In his freshman seminar, there were rousing discussions related to the TV show “The Wire,” which is about drug issues in Baltimore. In the Dana Senior Forum, the students consider topics of safety and security. He believes these discussions help students to be more well rounded and to gain exposure to important topics. During his time here, he has learned that communication is ultimately the key to success; if he is right, his charming, outgoing personality will take him far.

As requested, a haiku: “some of Adam’s favorite things”

Neurosurgery Bio, Denmark, EMS SOAP, Quidditch: DEATH PIT

9 Jon Hauptfeld

Written by Jamie Greenberg

Jon Hauptfeld is a chemistry major with an economics minor. He chose Muhlenberg, because of the community of caring students and accessible professors. Jon is very involved in activities around campus. Jon is a tour guide, a campus delegate and a head tutor for chemistry. He also does a lot of volunteer work in the community. As a sophomore, Jon volunteered as part of the Shape it Up Program at Jefferson Elementary School. There, he taught physical education to elementary school students. Currently, Jon volunteers at a local hospital in Lehigh Valley. In the summer of 2013, Jon interned at Covidien, a surgical device company where he tested the effectiveness of different types of surgical staples. For his Dana Internship and Mentorship, Jon has been working with Dr. Joseph Keane for two years on a synthetic chemistry project. His goal is to design a more efficient and inexpensive method for screening pharmaceutical drugs. Jon has been very successful during his time at Muhlenberg. He has made the Dean’s List all six semesters. Jon was accepted into the 4-4 program with Drexel, where he will attend medical school next year. In addition, his research took first place at the Intercollegiate Students Chemists Convention last spring. In his free time, Jon likes to run and play intramural soccer. Jon’s favorite class at Muhlenberg was Film Cultures of North Africa and the Middle East, which was taught by Dr. Tom Cartelli. Dr. Cartelli is one of Jon’s favorite professors at Muhlenberg. Jon has enjoyed being a Dana Scholar. From his First Year Seminar on The Wire to his Senior Seminar and project on political correctness, it has been an incredible experience for Jon. Jon advises younger Dana Scholars to stay curious and not be too afraid to ask tough questions. He encourages younger students to take advantage of all the opportunities afforded to Dana Scholars.

10 Rachel Heist

Written by Anna Ricciuti

Meet Rachel Heist! Studious, friendly, and very involved on campus, Rachel is originally from Ocean City, New Jersey and fell in love with Muhlenberg, because of its sense of community and family. She was attracted to the small, liberal arts setting that would allow her to know her professors, as well as Muhlenberg’s strong science program. Rachel is a biology major with a minor in public health, and will be starting medical school in the fall. She hopes to eventually work as a primary care physician, in pediatrics or family practice. Rachel is currently doing research with Dr. Edwards, studying tick-born pathogens, which is serving as her mentorship for the Dana program. She is also interning at a pediatric primary care clinic in Trexlertown. Additionally, in the Dana senior forum, Rachel is researching abortion and who it is protecting, as well as how the media influences our perception of this. When she is not studying or doing research, Rachel is involved in the Christian Fellowship, is a campus delegate, on the tour guide executive board, and has also been heavily involved in the orientation program over the past few years. Rachel has a variety of interests and, while being premed keeps her busy, she has found the time to fit in some dance classes as well! Rachel says that her favorite thing about Muhlenberg is that it provides her with many interactive opportunities that go beyond the classroom. Specifically with her current research, she has enjoyed being able to explore the different parks and nature preserves throughout the Lehigh Valley. She cites the Dana program for pushing her outside her comfort zone and prompting her to get involved in research early on. She also loves the people she has met through the program! When I asked Rachel how she has changed over her time at Muhlenberg, she told me: “I came in kind of with my whole life planned, and I knew what I wanted to do and that’s what was going to happen and I was very… I wanted to be in control of everything. And I’ve since learned that it’s okay to kind of take things as they come and be open to new opportunities, because when you’re so set in your ways, you don’t take advantage of opportunities as they arise. And I think that’s really important.” She advises freshmen Danas not to stress too much, to enjoy classes for what they are and not what they are going to get you in the future, and to just try something new! “Don’t be afraid to do something that you’ve never done before.”

11 Tommy Hoffman

Written by Cateryna Kochan

As a biochemistry major here at Muhlenberg College, Tommy is a far-reaching student, extending himself in all directions. In addition to being deeply rooted in the sciences, he is also interested in aspects of business. He plays soccer and is now captain of the team. Tommy has utilized the programs built into the DANA scholars program to further his interests in biochemistry. His mentorship consisted of a partnership with Dr. Colabroy in the lab, working towards a new antibiotic through research. Additionally, he is currently in the process of applying to internships, particularly in the Pharmaceutical industry, utilizing his knowledge in biochemistry. He expressed that his most ideal job would be in Fund Management of a biochemical company, allocating resources and utilizing his backgrounds in business and science. His most influential classes included his biochemistry class and experimental biochemistry, where he was able to do what he truly wanted to do. Outside of class, he continues to do research, tutor for Calculus and the ACT/SAT, play soccer, and hang out. Some of his favorite food here includes the amazing sandwiches in the dining hall and the chicken rice bowls at the GQ. Some of his favorite moments at Muhlenberg were his Conference Champion win for soccer and his perfect 100% on the first General Chemistry exam. Finally, some suggestions that were passed down to me and my fellow underclassmen from Tommy would be to do research if at all possible within your major, as his research greatly influenced him, and be constructive with your time (because there really never is any time better than the present).

12 Michael Hovan

Written by Richard Morash

In ten years, Michael sees himself in his hospital residency. As of yet, he is unsure as to what kind of doctor he will be, but the leading contenders are orthopedic surgeon and trauma surgeon. On his path to residency, he plans to stop for clinical research and medical school. He is currently using his Dana internship and mentorship with Dr. McCain to study the effects of Bisphenol A on sea urchins. Currently he is focused on their embryos and the next step is adults. He is looking at sea urchins, because they are rather similar to humans. Bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA, is a rather common chemical and by studying the effects it has on the sea urchins he can show how it will effect humans at different points in their development. Michael also spends a good amount of time reading other research papers to help with his own research. In addition to his research and Biology major, Michael has loved the diversity of academic programs at Muhlenberg. He enjoyed having general academic requirements, because they made him take classes in a variety of disciplines and also made it so that getting into those classes was easy, unlike some schools where taking classes outside of your major is almost impossible. He also really likes the Dana Senior Forum, because of the fact that there are so many professors from different fields that come in and talk to them. It was in his classes here that Michael was really challenged and rose to the occasion through hard work and diligence. Outside of academics, Michael is a big fan of sports. He has been on the Muhlenberg football team all four years and is quite passionate about the sport. He also enjoys spending time salt-water fishing and is quite good at it. One of the few regrets about his time at Muhlenberg is that he did not play baseball in addition to football. The only other regret that Michael has is that he was unable to study abroad in Ireland. Ultimately, Michael is sad that his time at Muhlenberg is drawing to a close and he will have to leave all of the people that he has come to know, but he is ready to take the next step in his life and go out into the real world.

13 Brendan Huffman

Written by Michaela Feinberg

Brendan Huffman is a Muhlenberg senior who hails from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A highly involved student who has encapsulated his self-proclaimed “eclectic interests” with a history major and double minor in music and German, Brendan has clearly exploited a variety opportunities available at Muhlenberg. As for his future plans, Brendan is currently in the process of applying to graduate programs that he hopes will allow him to explore the topic of digital age media. Brendan clearly has a passion for music. He started out as a lyricist and is currently impressively teaching himself Jazz piano. Furthermore, he has created his own work within the hip-hop genre by creatively rearranging jazz and funk records. At Muhlenberg, Brendan has expanded his love for music through the Dana program. He talks passionately about his independent study work and mentorship with Dr. Scott Sherk exploring the cross over between modern art and the aesthetic theory of music. Brendan says that his favorite part of Muhlenberg has been the opportunities he has found here for interdisciplinary conversation, access to guest faculty, and the consequent opportunity for diverse conversation. He furthermore appreciates the community of unique scholars he has found within the Dana program, which has given him the freedom to experience varying points of view and the exposure to different academic areas. He is looking forward to exploring the varying effects of political correctness and its relation to popular culture and public imagination in his Dana Senior Year Forum. Last spring, Brendan studied abroad in Munich and praises the experience as an opportunity for him to reflect on his future goals. Brendan stresses the importance of exploration and curiosity throughout college. He describes how his experience at Muhlenberg has allowed him to explore his passions and develop into a person who enjoys the process of learning in addition to increasing his awareness of the contemporary moment. He suggests that students commencing their college experience cultivate their curiosity and strive to take classes that challenge self-perception. He stresses a holistic approach to learning that ultimately expands the concept of one’s place within society and promotes awareness of the contemporary moment. With this mentality, it is doubtless that Brendan will continue to succeed as he enters the next stage of his education and his life.

14 Nicole Karsch

Written by Prianka Hashim

Nicole Karsch is a senior from Lansdale, PA and has been continuously involved in multiple activities during her time here at Muhlenberg. She has pursued an Environmental Science Major and a Sustainability Studies Minor, after taking an array of classes, and has played on the Women’s Soccer Team. She has been involved in EnAct, Muhlenberg’s Environmental Action Team, volunteered at the Garden House, is a member of PHAM, and interned at the Office of Sustainability. She chose Muhlenberg College due to being a small, intimate campus and being a member of the Division 3 Sports League. If she could do it all over again, she would have chosen a school that was more invested in the environmental aspect, but would choose the Dana Scholars Program again in a heartbeat. The Dana Program has allowed her to make quite a few close friends, many of whom she met during her First Year Seminar. The Sophomore Seminar, which is supposed to bring individuals closer to their community, is where she volunteered at the Phoebe Home, an assisted living facility, for over a month and a half. She studied abroad in India where she actively participated in Independent Research during an SIT Program titled “Sustainable Development and Social Change.” Her research was concentrated on Sustainable Agriculture where she focused on traditional vs. modern farming. After completing her research, she immediately went to a MILA Program in Bangladesh entitled “Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Bangladesh.” Her advice to me as an incoming freshman was to take classes that are not required, but rather seem interesting, explaining that I could find passions I want to pursue in places I would not normally think of looking. Looking back over her time here at Muhlenberg, she realized that “everything will all work out,” regardless of how the situation seemed at the time. If there is one thing she could change about Muhlenberg College, it would be turning the Sustainability Studies Minor into a possible major. After Muhlenberg, Nicole plans to take a gap year since she changed her plan of studies multiple times, and wants to gain more worldly experience. Best of luck to Nicole!

15 Richard Kormos

Written by Baadal A. Vachhani

R: Richie enjoys READING in his free time. One of his favorite books is “Brecht on Theatre.” I: Richie INTERNED at the Studio Theater in Washington D.C. where he got the unique opportunity to learn more about the business aspect of theatre. C: Richie COMPOSED two Muhlenberg shows over the course his college career. (“Sinternet! The Musical” and “The Exception & The Rule.”) H: Richie HOPES to encourage community and political engagement from his audiences through self-produced theatrical works. A: Richie served as the Head of Public Relations for Muhlenberg’s all-male acapella group, ACAFELLAS! R: Richie RAN his own underground theatre company last year called FLINT. D: Richie served as a DIRECTOR during his four years at Muhlenberg in three separate shows.

K: Richie enjoys KILLING his non-existent free time by drawing landscapes. O: Richie aspires to OWN his own theatre company when he grows up. R: Richie has been ROCKING thirteen years of Trombone and eleven of Guitar. M: Richie is currently a senior at Muhlenberg and MAJORING in Theatre. O: Richie credits his OPEN-MINDED personality to his experiences and discussions through the DANA Scholars Program. S: Richie is currently in an independent STUDY focused on Brechtian theories on Theatre for Social Change in collaboration with James Peck.

16 Jake Levine

Written by Kelly Travitz

Jake, a Dana senior, has had no lack of excitement in his college career. It has been a rooftop dancing, abroad traveling, Italy exploring, crime scene observing, theatre preforming, fraternity volunteering, lab experimenting journey. As a freshman, his DANA First Year Seminar on Martin Scorsese further fueled Jake’s interest in film. Freshman Jake, already with his sights set on a theatre major with his theater scholarship, realized in his first year that he also wanted to pursue chemistry as a major, due to his great interest in forensic science. Jake has been in his fare share of performances at Muhlenberg. Some of his favorites include Offending the Audience, a play with the purpose of destructing the theatre with no plot and no characters, The Untitled William Shakespeare Time Travel Project, a student written play with a Shakespearian format but a modern twist, and The Rivers Under the Earth, a play that addresses life and death as a sick father on vacation with his family. In addition to participating in the performing aspect of the theatre program, Jake participated in a mentorship with Charlie Richter, the creator of the theatre department. In this mentorship, he explored Jewish dramas by the Yiddish playwright Peretz Hirschbein and how his plays influenced the second Golden Age of Yiddish Theater. Jake is also a member of the fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, where he has occupied the positions of secretary, recruitment chair, and social chair. The fraternity puts together multiple community service projects such as, miracle league baseball and fundraising for the St. Baldrick’s foundation to fight childhood cancer. The brothers also shave their heads for support. One of Jake’s fondest college experiences was his study abroad in Arezzo, Italy at the Accademia Dell’Arte. There, he participated in a physical theatre program that focused on movement, voice, and Commedia with masks. During his time there, Jake lived in a villa in the Tuscan hills and traveled all throughout Italy. At his final cabaret, he preformed a self-taught version of Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud dance, which he and his partner had practiced on a sun-setting rooftop. Jake also visited London, Amsterdam and Ireland over his spring break. This year, Jake attended a forensic science conference in Atlantic City where he was able to view photos of actual crime scenes, learn about blood splatters and view examples crime scene staging. After graduating from Muhlenberg, Jake intends to get a graduate degree, but may take a break first to audition for theatre and film opportunities in New York City. His goal is to eventually combine his two majors by writing and appearing in a show about known crime cases and the real science behind it. Jake has had an extremely successful Muhlenberg career and encourages all DANAs to explore.

17 Jillian Mauro

Written by Emma Loh

Jillian is a Theater and Business double major from Warren, New Jersey. Jillian was very active in musical theater during high school and decided that Muhlenberg was the best place for her next four years. Mauro has not wasted a bit of time since she got here: she currently holds numerous positions, such as the advertising coordinator for the Muhlenberg Theater Association, the public relations/marketing coordinator and member of the Women’s’ Ensemble, a tour guide, an economics tutor, president of the Italian Club, and a moderator for the Youth and Prejudice conference. Mauro is very involved in the Dana program, holding the class representative position from sophomore year onwards. They have worked on setting up an orientation activity for incoming Dana classes, scheduling meetings about internships with underclassmen Danas and brainstorming hypothetical Dana merchandise. She said, “A lot of my closest friends are Danas. It’s been helpful to have a consistent group of people to have classes with.” Two of the faculty members that she is the closest with are drama professors, Charlie Richter and Larry Singer, who served as advisors for her Dana mentorship and internship. Mauro has participated in many performances on campus, including ones featured in the Red Door Play Festival, the New Voices Playwrighting Festival, and “The Vagina Monologues.” She also performed in “Urinetown the Musical” at the Civic Theatre of Allentown, as well as acted and directed in the Youth and Prejudice Conference’s play “The Library.” One of the coolest experiences Jillian has had was when she studied abroad in Italy. Jillian took classes specializing in Commedia Dell’Arte, Movement and Voice, Philosophy, and Italian at the Accademia dell'Arte. Commedia Dell’Arte is a historic form of acting involving masks and exaggerated physical movements that has been traced as the root of stock characters still in use today. Her Dana mentorship was working as a dramaturge under Richter for last year’s musical “Street Scene”, where she researched historical racial and classist relations and issues that were pertinent to the context of the show. Her research was included in the playbill and she also presented it to a panel. Her internship was under the Muhlenberg acting teacher Larry Singer at his New York acting studio. The internship combined both of her majors, where she was able to take part in his acting classes, but also learn how to market his classes towards college students. After Muhlenberg, Mauro plans to either move to New York to start auditioning or to work for another season with Missoula Children’s Theater, a program that she participated in last summer; in this job, Mauro traveled across the country performing in a musical to a different town each week, where she worked together with the town’s children in performances and workshops. It was a great way to combine her love and theater and teaching together. Mauro’s advice for underclassmen is “Take advantage that is available at Muhlenberg, especially the classes you can take and the professors you can make relationships with. Don’t be afraid to ask for things; the worst thing you can get is ‘no.’ Your four years are going to go faster than you think they are.” We can’t wait to see your name in lights, Jillian!

18 Dan McKenna

Written by James DeMatteo

Dan McKenna, a senior in the Dana Scholars program, is a terrific guy with whom it is easy to have an enjoyable conversation. His hometown of Morrisville, PA sits an hour and a half away from Muhlenberg’s gorgeous campus. The distance strikes a perfect balance between being far enough away, yet not too far from home. When asked why he chose Muhlenberg, Dan very happily responded, “…because it felt like home.” He also added that the exceptional theatre program was a major plus. Theatre is one of Dan’s biggest passions. This past fall, he starred in the Muhlenberg Theatre Association’s Mainstage production Chicago. Dan played Amos, the second lead male character, performing the catchy signature song “Mr. Cellophane.” In addition, the ability to double major easily and the flexibility of scheduling served as a major draw for Dan. In fact, he is a double major in Finance and Theatre with a concentration in Acting. In many ways, Muhlenberg has become a second home to Dan. He is deeply involved in all aspects of the college environment. He serves as president of the Acapella Council and for the Dynamics, the oldest a cappella group on campus. Dan also works as a Learning Assistant for Macroeconomics. He is also a proud member of ODK, a leadership and honor fraternity. Dan is also part of the Muhlenberg Theatre Association and the Dana Scholars Program. When asked what his most memorable moments were during his time at Muhlenberg, Dan took a thoughtful moment to ponder his experiences. He said performing in Chicago was without a doubt a major highlight. Reflecting further on his theatre experiences, he added that acting in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” as a sophomore was a fond memory. Dan continued to happily recall another theatre experience he had during his junior year at the Larry Singer Conservatory. Through this program with Muhlenberg, Dan spent a month living in the Big Apple during the summer. He took theatre classes and saw shows for credit. Needless to say, he really loved this experience. Dan also said the program tied in nicely with his finance major. While in New York City, he also studied marketing as part of his Dana internship. Looking back, Dan says this was one of his favorite times at Muhlenberg. Dan is also a very humble person, because when asked about his biggest accomplishments, he sort of hesitated to answer (though he has many, as alluded to before). He says being part of ODK is definitely one of them. Also, winning the Kyle M. Larsson Memorial Scholarship in Economics, which he received at an honors ceremony last year. Most of all, Dan is extremely proud of the fundraising he accomplished during A Cappella Fest. Through this event, he helped raise many thousands of dollars for the Allentown School District. Looking to the future, Dan hopes to find a job in business, while holding on to his passion for theatre. He might continue his education in pursuit of an MBA. Dan really likes management — that is one of his favorite things. To do something involving that, like running a company, would be a dream come true for him.

19 Emily Michaels

Written by Nick Reit

When I first met Emily Michaels, she told me she was from Hickory, North Carolina, and we immediately bonded over the common ground of not being from New Jersey. A Media & Communications major with a minor in English, Emily also told me that she used to be a theatre major and has career aspirations in casting. During her time at Muhlenberg, Emily has been a member of the Muhlenberg Theatre Association, a member of the step team, a sister and executive board member of Phi Mu Sorority, a peer tutor, and, of course, a Dana scholar. She began her Muhlenberg experience in the “Films of Martin Scorsese” First Year Seminar. She recounted to me the fun nights she had bonding with her fellow freshmen as they watched movie screenings for the class. The bookend on the other side, her Dana Senior Year Forum, focuses on the Muhlenberg Center for Ethics’ themes for the year, this semester’s being “Influence & Information: Whose Safety? Whose Security?” Next semester, the focus will shift to “Manipulation Nation,” which will influence the project Emily will research for the Senior Year Forum. This research focuses on the manipulative nature of music, especially in times of social conflict and change. Emily describes her experience studying abroad in Dublin as the most influential part of her time at Muhlenberg. The Dublin program is run through the Media & Communications program. In spring 2015, Emily traveled to Ireland to study and work in an internship. She talked fondly of her internship with a company that produces work from new Irish playwrights. Emily specifically enjoyed the ability to get to know Dublin on a personal level and to be able to see it as a second home. This year, she is hard at work on her Dana mentorship and internship. Her Dana mentorship involves research and textual analysis of the TLC reality show Love, Lust or Run, starring Stacy London (host of What Not to Wear). Emily was very enthusiastic about the show and makeover media in relation to post-feminism and neoliberalism. Having just finished her research, Emily divulged to me that the final product will be a critical view of this aspect of our culture. Though her internship is not yet set in stone, Emily expressed interest in a placement at Allen High School through the Muhlenberg Political Science department. This internship would pair Emily with a high school junior who is looking at applying to college. Emily would assist this junior and encourage him or her through all of the aspects of the college process. After graduation, Emily hopes to spend a semester with the Disney College Program, an internship program at one of the two Disney parks in the US. Within this opportunity, Emily would love to secure a spot in the competitive world of character performing. After that, she plans on getting an internship with a casting agency. Ten years from now, Emily’s dream would be to live in New York City and work for Telsey + Company, one of the preeminent casting forces in the business. She would love to work casting workshops for students, like the one she attended on a trip to NYC. Muhlenberg has taught Emily to “think critically, but be open.” This is echoed in the advice she chose to share with me: be open to every opportunity that comes along, even those you may not expect. When asked what her favorite quote was, she pulled out her laptop and read me one that she had found a few days earlier: “Burn through, become the light, you are not done.” –Anonymous. Finally, Emily’s favorite thing in the Wood Dining Commons is Pizza Rustico.

20 Emily Nguyen

Written by Yue Xie

Emily Nguyen comes from California, but her mom has some relatives living here in Pennsylvania. After frequent visits to her family, she wants to experience a different life in Pennsylvania. Through Naviance, she chose Muhlenberg College as her target school. As a senior Dana, she actively participated in many exciting and meaningful activities at Muhlenberg College. These experiences have enriched her intellectually. Emily really enjoyed her Dana First Year Seminar, which mainly analyzed and discussed films of Martin Scorsese. She is especially grateful to this class for helping to evolve the way she writes and thinks about film and literature. Emily first started with an education major, but later she realized her preference for math and English, and she's now a double major. For her Dana internship, she worked on the “Dana Interviewer” and edited information on the website, applying skills from her English major. For her mentorship, she successfully did math research on Zaremba’s conjecture on continued fractions, in addition to studying Hausdorff dimension She is enjoying the Dana Senior Year Forum, which is based on the current Center for Ethics theme of “Whose Safety, Whose Security?” Various professors coming from different departments offer diverse topics and readings for them. For example, a Biology professor brought out food safety issues and an English professor related Shakespeare to the safety topic. In addition, apart from Dana activities, she also shows her passion and patience by playing an instrument. Beginning in her first year, she joined Wind Ensemble and played the flute for five semesters.

21 Maxine Silver

Written by Francie Koitz

Maxine Silver is a friendly, unique, and intelligent individual. She is graduating with a dual degree in Neuroscience and Film. During her years at Muhlenberg, Maxine participated in organizations such as EMS and the Muhlenberg Film Association. Maxine’s hobbies include reading, writing, and gaming. Currently, her favorite game is Undertale, which she says has “an amazing soundtrack.” Even the necklace she was wearing when I met her was a reference to a video game, and a very cool necklace indeed—a raven skull. When asked what her most triumphant moment of her Muhlenberg experience was, Maxine responded “getting through one of the tough semesters,” such as when she had three lab classes. Her favorite class she ever took at Muhlenberg was Neurons and Networks, which she liked because it is the class where “they stop lying to you about how neurons work, and everything makes more sense.” She also emphasized that one should take any and all classes taught by Dr. Jeremy Teissere. Maxine said that her favorite Muhlenberg memory was when she and her friends would have six hour long board game nights in the ML Underground, which sounds really rad. Maxine’s advice to any student would be “don’t be afraid to talk to any of your professors.” She also emphasized that the professors at Muhlenberg would be totally willing to talk to a student over a cup of tea, and that students should take advantage of the friendly atmosphere. In addition, Maxine spoke about how she is excited to see the direction the Dana Program is heading in. For her Dana internship, she is producing the Dana Interviewer. Her Dana mentorship is an independent study in film where she is looking at how viewers identify with characters in apocalypse movies, and the shift away from the typical hero who is a cisgender white heterosexual male, and an increase in diversity in such films. Maxine is excited to see what the future holds for her. Currently, she is applying to graduate schools to study neuropsychology, a field where psychology is studied through a lens of neuroscience to better understand mental processes. She hopes to become a neuropsychologist for LGBT+ people, which is admirable and much needed in society. A known animal lover, Maxine is excited to fill her future home with an eclectic mix of pets ranging from dogs and cats to an axolotl.

22 Shaena Singer

Written by Blake Peebles

A collection of haikus about Shaena Singer:

The dancing singer She’s all the way from Cali West Coast Best Coast Yo!

Phi Sig is a home Philanthropy and helping Helping out always

The Pre-PT path Studying science of dance Passion as career

What does Dana mean? A lens to other studies Broadening worldview

She’s made an impact Her class bettered the dance path Paved way for us all

“Pushed the boundaries… Experienced the changes… Assisted the growth.”

At first, PT school Changed her mind, wants to dance more “I just need to dance”

23 Katie Skwirut

Written by Michelle Haykin

Off to PA school at DeSales University, we have Miss Salem County 2013, Katie Skwirut! As a freshman, she was busy with pageants. However, pageants were not the only thing that kept Katie busy throughout her time at college. Before she attended college, she went to Salem high school. What you may not have known is that during the end of her high school career, she took classes at the University of Pennsylvania for three semesters. She realized she preferred a smaller school, and so decided to pursue a dual degree in Biology and Music, here, at Muhlenberg College. She is an opera singer, participated in Opera Club, and was the lead role, Venus, in Venus and Adonis. She is close with Ted Connor, a Professor of Music, who she met at June Advising. They are currently working on solo Lute music, and he helped her open her senior recital this fall. She says that he is always willing to help her and support her. With regards to her passion for Biology and medicine, Katie was a biology department lab assistant, a Muhlenberg EMS EMT, did research- as well as her mentorship- in Bruce Wightman’s lab and interned and volunteered at St. Luke’s Hospital. She has been visiting hospice care patient Marie for two years, and is the coordinator of the Office of Community Engagement. Katie did research in Costa Rica for two weeks, examining the water health in various watersheds using macroinvertebrates as indicator species. She then went into detail about her research and time spent in Dr. Wightman’s lab. She had Dr. Wightman for a genetics course and knew she would love to work in his lab within the first few weeks of class. She sees him not just as a lab professor, but also as a mentor who has incredible insight. After working in his lab, her views on her place in the biology- and science- world changed, as she felt motivated to become independent not only in the sciences, but also in the nonacademic sense. A fun fact I learned after interviewing Katie is that both she and Dr. Wightman are Game of Thrones fans. Yet another fun fact is that she brought bunnies to the Salem County Fair in her home state, New Jersey, as a 4-H member. She is Muhlenberg’s Women’s Ensemble treasurer, and was elected to be Vice President after being the Scribe of her sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma. 4 out of 9 of the Presidential Assistant positions on campus are filled by members of her sorority! She was an RA, then an HR, and now she is the President Assistant of the ORS. As for the Dana Scholars program, Katie loves the people she has come to work with in the program, for everyone understands each other, and everyone is different and participates in various activities! She claims that regardless of what club one is in, he or she is bound to find a Dana somewhere because Danas are so unique and involved.

24 Megan Smith Written by Eric Steinbach Megan Smith is a Muhlenberg senior in the Dana Scholars program. Before moving to Allentown for school, Megan was born and raised in Candia, New Hampshire. Megan’s passions include theater and community engagement, as displayed by her hobbies and studies at Muhlenberg. Focusing her academic studies on theater, Megan looks back fondly on many of the theater classes she has taken in the past four years. When asked what some of her favorite or most intriguing classes were she responded with many of her classes in the theater department. In addition, she noted her Freshman Year Seminar, in which she and her fellow Dana classmates studied the television show, The Wire, and examined the implications the show had for the city of Baltimore. Taking full advantage of Muhlenberg’s study abroad program, Megan decided to spend a semester in London, England. At the Queen Mary University of London, Megan primarily studied theater. However, Megan’s focus on theater has not been purely academic. At home and at school, she has been involved in many theater events. At Muhlenberg she has worked as a Stage Manager and Sound Technician on many productions, and plans to work on a main stage event this coming spring. For her Dana Internship, Megan mixed her interests in theater and community engagement. She interned at a local organization in the Lehigh Valley, Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites. When asked what she appreciated most about her experience in the Dana program, Megan immediately thought of her internship. She responded, “I appreciate that if it weren’t for the Dana program, I probably would not have thought of doing an internship there,” and noted that she enjoyed her internship so much and would not have had that experience without the Dana program.

25 Brittney Tuff

Written by Victoria Castillo

Brittney Tuff, Class of 2016, is currently a math and physical science major and a part of the dual degree program with Columbia for Engineering. While she started as a prospective chemistry major, and premed, Brittney ended up changing her mind because she didn’t like biology. Because she was pretty undecided for a while, she got to play around with a lot of the classes and general academic requirements to find what she truly loved. Math had always been a passion of hers, and she actually is thinking about studying statistics in graduate school as well. Another possibility for her is to take a gap year, as she hopes to get a job for some real world experience. No matter what happens though, she’s confessed that she’s discovered that she “loves Philadelphia and plans on settling there.” Currently in Muhlenberg, Brittney is involved in dance as a hobby. She has been in rehearsals throughout the first semester of her senior year for both Moving Stories and Master Choreographers. While she doesn’t plan on pursuing a career that incorporates dancing, she says that it’s been a fun and relaxing part of her life. She also received an art scholarship to come here which requires her to take one art class a year. Even if she doesn’t want to be an artist, she wants to find more time to paint after she graduates. Coming into the college, Brittney didn’t know what the Dana Program was, but she saw the opportunity and seized it. Upon arrival in the program, it was fascinating to find that everyone was so intelligent. She loved the Dana Forum where they had long debates about controversial topics. She found that everyone had something different to bring on the table, and all the different angles really expanded her view on things. The Dana Program also pushed her to look for internships and mentorships. Last year, she interned at the Dana Interviewer and streamlined this whole interviewing process for last year’s freshmen. In terms of mentorship, she’s done a lot of math research with the college. Her research centered around auction theory, with real life examples such as Ebay, and she wrote a paper on her discoveries and presented her work in a conference in LA in April. Some of her favorite memories at Muhlenberg involve her great group of friends, three of whom she has an apartment with. Her biggest piece of advice? “Take advantage of everything Muhlenberg has to offer.” Last summer, Brittney worked at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and did a research project on Teen Driving. She recruited participants and ran study visits to collect preliminary data. There would be a consent process where both parents and children signed off, and then she would lead them to a driving simulator. Three screens would act as a virtual car windshield, and cameras placed around would check their eyes. These cameras tracked the motion of their pupils to see how well they paid attention through different scenarios like rain or quickly merging traffic. Dr. McGuire is her favorite professor, and she finds a great role model in her. “She wanted to be an engineer, but along the way she decided teaching was for her. I thought that was really cool. And she has a lot of real world experience that I learn from,” Brittney enthuses. Another professor who Brittney adores is Dr. Gryc. She likes how he’s really organized and set in stone, and she enjoys the security of it. Looking back now, she realizes that she’s had him every semester - save two - for all four years of her time here at Muhlenberg. In closing, she’d like to give a grateful shoutout to her Mom and Dad. “Thank you for supporting me and being there for me when I’m really stressed and freaking out about tests,” she says with a laugh. We wish Brittney the best in all her future endeavors.

26 Eric Quitter

Written by Taj Singh

As part of my freshman experience as a Dana Scholar, I had the pleasure of meeting senior Dana Scholar member, Eric Quitter. You may have seen him dressed up in his rather clever Halloween costume, “The Cereal Killer,” consisting of empty cereal boxes and knives through them! I interviewed him about his experiences as a college student and as a Muhlenberg community member. Eric is currently studying Neuroscience and Religion Studies, and following the Pre-Med track. Although studying a seemingly surprising combination of fields, Eric shared with me that he chose to enter Religion Studies in order to further his understanding of the ways that religion shapes the modern world. Eric is actively involved in research on campus in Dr. Sprayberry’s lab, which involves bees’ response to various environmental stimuli, such as the use of pesticides changing the scent of different crops they fertilize. Aside from academics on campus, Eric is actively involved in the wildly entertaining Muhlenberg Circus. I myself am a Pre-Med student, so I thought it would be useful to share Eric’s advice regarding college-life and Pre-Health to others, not just Pre-Med students. He told me to get involved with tutoring and to not be afraid to get a tutor. Once you have taken a class, you can avoid forgetting the material by volunteering to tutor in that subject. Get to know all the faculty on campus, particularly your professors. Set up meetings with them or just stop by for a chat; they are all interesting, approachable individuals. Most of all, he recommended taking classes and participating in activities that are exciting to you personally. Never try to fit yourself into one particular mold or “check off” boxes you think make you look more interesting to future employers or educational institutions. Become a person first; the credentials will follow. I asked Eric to share a “Muhlenberg Top 3,” to which he shared three must-do’s for all students at ‘Berg. He strongly recommends the following for everyone: doing research over the summer to free yourself from the boundaries of school, taking something that you have no experience in, and joining a club or starting one on your own. Eric himself founded and developed the Neuroscience Journal Club. He found that the Neuroscience Journal Club helped him to mature as a leader, mentor, and scientific thinker. As he wraps up his senior year, Eric plans on taking a gap year before starting medical school. He is considering doing research at the NIH or the Kessler Foundation, which works towards assisting individuals with Multiple Sclerosis and Traumatic Brain Injury. As an alternative, he is also interested in participating in City Year. I would like to thank Eric for sharing his very unique and accomplished experience at Muhlenberg; we all wish him the best!

There once was a student named Eric, Who really was quite altruistic Imparting his tips and curiosity, One full of curiosity and generosity

27 Jessica Wilson

Written by Pooja Menon

The Dana program truly brings together bright students with diverse interests, a characteristic exemplified by senior Jessica Wilson. Jessica is a Chemistry major with a minor in music. Among her many activities, she is a Dana Class Representative, the president of the Chemistry Club here on campus, and was formerly the president of the Swim Club. Growing up in Littleton, Colorado, how did she find Muhlenberg? Well, her parents encouraged her to apply to colleges that were outside of Colorado, because it would enable her to do something different for a short period of time. She fell in love with the ‘Berg, because of the investment professors had in a student’s education and the prominence of both theater and music in the community. Coming from a music background and wanting to pursue a career in science, Muhlenberg was a perfect fit for her. Outside of the sciences, Jessica is an avid piano player, beginning when she was just three years old. Her life has been filled with music, whether it be in the form of piano or high school choir. Jessica knew that she wanted to continue with music in college and decided after taking a music course to pursue a minor in the art. Her favorite genre of music is classical, because the music allows for her to put her own interpretation and emphasis on the rhythm instead of trying to mimic exactly a piece. Jessica has found her experience with the Dana program very rewarding. Her favorite part of the Dana Scholars program is the Senior Year Forum, which meets every week and discusses a variety of topics surrounding this year’s themes from the Center for Ethics. She feels that the inclusion of different topics gets different people involved in the discussion every week. One particular experience she shared was the day Dr. Teissére from the neuroscience department attended class. What was fascinating to her was his ice breaker of “Where do you go when you first walk into a bookstore?” To her, it was very interesting because one, that is not the standard question professors ask when getting to know students, and two, the sections that people went to did not necessarily correspond with their major, and in fact often did not. One of Jessica’s passions is doing research and working in the lab. Here at Muhlenberg she works with Dr. Baar in investigating the organic synthesis of a molecule that can possibly be used for lead testing. She spent the past summer at the University of Michigan gaining the experience needed to prompt her to go to graduate school, which is in the near future for Jessica. She is considering going into the materials field and is interested in the synthesis of organic molecules that have real world applications. According to her, it is satisfying to see the results of all the hard work done. Hearing her talk about research shows her genuine passion for the field and her certain success after graduation!

28 Tim DeRosa: Drosophila Gene Model Research Honors and Plant Trichome Development Research

Achievements: Adam Elwood: Undergraduate Research Symposium ‘Russia: East and West’ presenting my paper ‘Impact of Caroline Berman: cultural beliefs held by former USSR citizens Dean's List every semester on the perception of modern medical care’ Keeper internship at Lehigh Valley Zoo Dean’s List forever Keeper internship at Audubon Zoo, New Drexel University Medical School Orleans Phi Beta Kappa Research on pasture quality in Ngorongoro National Player Health and Safety Advisor for Conservation Area, Tanzania while studying Major League Quidditch abroad

Jon Hauptfeld: Dan Bigelow: 7x Deans List Twice Elected President of Delta Tau Delta Intercollegiate Student Chemists Convention-1st DTD President of the Year Award 2014 place in inorganic research category Dean’s List Tour guide Internship at St. Luke’s Allentown Campus delegate Campus Delegates Head Tutor Concussion Research with Dr. Jeff Rudski Attending Drexel University College of Presidential Merit Scholarship Medicine in Fall of 2016 Student Researcher – Keane Lab

Dana Brodsky: Member and Former Secretary of Psi Chi Rachel Heist: (International Psychology Honors Society) LVHN Research Scholar, 2015 Dean's List every semester Research Posters Presented at: presented research from a group study at Lehigh Valley Health Network Research Muhlenberg Psychology Day Spring 2014 Scholars Poster Presentation (poster) and presented poster on research Muhlenberg College Celebration of Student collaborated w/ Dr. Connie Wolfe at Research, Art and Scholarship Psychology Day Spring 2015 (poster) Student Orientation Advisory and Planning Committee Tour Guide Executive Committee Matthew Dacher: Recipient of the Reverend Dr. H. H, Bruning Award Tommy Hoffman: Member of Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Research on I dopa dioxygenase to determine National Honor Society the kinetics of the cleave of I dopa Deans List 1st Academic All-American Junior Year President Alpha Tau Omega Centennial Sportsmanship Team Junior Year Treasurer Student Government Conference Winners and Sweet 16 Finalist Captain of Men’s Soccer Team Senior Year Alfonse Chemistry Award 29 Michael Hovan: Jake Levine: Dean’s List Homecoming King 2015-2016 Centennial Conference Honor Roll Dean’s List Bioloy independent research: Effects of Delta Tau Delta; Secretary, Recruitment, Social Bisphenol A on the Development of Sea Urchin Presented Research: “Mass Spectrometry and Embryo Spicules Direct Analysis Methods for the Determination of Synthetic Cannabinoids” Acted in 7 Muhlenberg Theater Productions Brendan Huffman: Presidential Merit and Theater Scholarships Dean’s List History Department Award Jillian Mauro: Worked as a Tour Actor/Director for Missoula Nicole Karsch: Children's Theatre, bringing the arts to children Dean’s List all over the country Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll President of the Muhlenberg Italian Club (Women’s Soccer Advertising Coordinator of the Muhlenberg Presented Independent Research at the 12th Theatre Association Annual International Conference on Marketing/Public Relations Coordinator for the Environmental, Cultural, Economic, & Social Muhlenberg Women's Ensemble Sustainability in Portland, OR Dean's List Accepted to Present at the LVAIC Sustainability Conference Dan McKenna: Dean's List Richard Kormos: Omicron Delta Kappa (Honors Fraternity) Composed two Mainstage Productions Kyle M. Larsson Memorial Scholarship Award (Sinternet! And The Exception & The Rule) in Business and Economics Directed three Productions (Three Beds, The Learning Assistant - Economics Proposal, and the Boor) Assitant Musical Director of Street Scene Assistant Director of Agamemnon Emily Michaels: Wrote two Productions (Three Beds, Fourteen Dean's List Years) Former Literary Intern at Fishamble: The New Acted in Six Productions (Three Mainstage, Play Company in Dublin, Ireland One Studio, Two Red Door) Conducted research on neoliberalism and Administrative Intern at The Studio Theater postfeminism in makeover television Head of PR for the Muhlenberg AcaFellas Presidential Merit Scholarship

30 Emily Nguyen: Megan Smith: Member of Pi Mu Epsilon, Sigma Tau Delta, Dean's List Phi Beta Kappa 2013 Recipient of the Espi Guinto Young Dean's List Writer’s Award "A Comparison of Vaccination Regimes in a Studied Abroad at Queen Mary University of Spatial, Stochastic SIR Model of Measles" London, Fall 2014 (August 2015, presented at the Summer Member of Sigma Tau Delta (National English Undergraduate Research Conference at the Society) Mathematical Biosciences Institute (Ohio State University, Columbus, OH)) "Computing the Dimension of Cantor Sets" Brittney Tuff: (March 2015, presented at the eastern Dean's List Pennsylvania and Delaware meeting of the Dana Interviewer Editor 2015 MAA (Franklin and Marshall Internship at the Center for Injury Research and College, Lancaster, PA)) Prevention at The Children's Hospital of "Zaremba and Hensley: Continued Fractions Philadelphia and Congruence Obstructions" (April 2014, Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership presented at the eastern Pennsylvania and Honor Society Delaware meeting of the MAA (University of Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society Scranton, Scranton, NY)) Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society Maxine Silver: Will be Presenting Research on Auction Theory Dean’s List at a Conference at Loyola Marymount University in April

Shaena Singer: Presidential Merit Scholarship Eric Quitter: Dance Talent Scholarship What Smells Funny: Exploring the Fidelity of Dean's List Olfactory Association in Foraging Bumblebees – American College Dance Association Presented in absentia at the national conference Master Choreographers of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Moving Stories Biology Choreographer for Fall Dance Gallery Decisions to Terminate Life Support: Influence of Perceived Patient Agency and Experience – Presented at the national convention of the

Association for Psychological Science Katie Skwirut: Founder and President of the Neuroscience Phi Sigma Sigma Vice President and Scribe Journal Club Muhlenberg Women's Ensemble Treasurer Neuroscience Collaborative Research Grant Collegium Musicum member, Office of Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society Residential Services Residential Advisor, Head Dean’s List Resident, and Presidential Assistant. Muhlenberg Presidential Scholarship Wightman Research Lab Student Researcher OCE & Hospice Compassius Coordinator and Volunteer Opera Workshop Venus and Adonis - Venus, Muhlenberg EMS - EMT Cardinal Key Society Biology Department - Lab Assistant Deans List

31 Jessi Wilson: Accepted to Chemistry PhD programs at University of Michigan and University of California Davis Poster Presentation “Progress towards the Synthesis of a Fluorescent Lead (II)-Trapping Coumarocryptand” at American Chemical Society National Meeting (March 2015) First Place in Organic Chemistry “Progress towards the Synthesis of a Fluorescent Lead (II)-Trapping Coumarocryptand as a New Clinical Analyte for Lead” at Intercollegiate Student Chemists Convention (April 2015) Conducted research on the amplification of gel sensors through depolymerization in Dr. Anne McNeil’s group at the University of Michigan (Summer 2015) Provost Summer Research Grant (Summer 2014) Student Liaison for the Middle States Reaccreditation of Muhlenberg College (September 2014-April 2016) Student Representative for Hiring a new Professor of Physical Chemistry (Spring 2015) Presidential Merit Scholarship Dean’s List